Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 18 May 1999

Vol. 504 No. 7

Written Answers. - School Staffing.

Liam Aylward

Ceist:

337 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Science if an additional teacher will be sanctioned for September 1999 for Carrigeen primary school, County Kilkenny, in view of the recent submission by the board of management (details supplied). [12573/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

As the Deputy may be aware, the staffing of a national school for a particular year is determined by the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous year.

The enrolment of Carrigeen national school on 30 September 1998 was 119 pupils. This enrolment warrants a teaching staff of a principal and three mainstream class teachers for the 1999-2000 school year. This is the same staffing which the school currently has for the 1998-9 school year.

In the circumstances, I regret that even though there is a significant improvement in the primary school staffing schedule for the coming year, there is no basis whereby the school can appoint an additional teacher.

Pat Rabbitte

Ceist:

338 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the rationale for renaming the teacher-counsellor or support teacher scheme in primary schools; if the scheme teachers have been discouraged from offering counselling support to students suffering the effects of bereavement or in need of serious anger management aid; if so, the reason this has been done; the reason the scheme is being re-directed in spite of the wishes of the teachers in the scheme and the very positive endorsement of the pilot project evaluation; the reason the scheme was extended to schools not designated disadvantaged in spite of the education recommendation to extend to further schools serving designated areas of disadvantage; the way in which schools which service areas of severe deprivation will meet the established need to provide regular counselling to the needy pupils; if he will meet a group of concerned teachers from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12580/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

The teacher/counsellor project was initiated in 1995 in response to representations made to the Department by some school principals and other personnel regarding difficulties being experienced in coping with a minority of disruptive pupils. The project was evaluated by the Department's inspectorate in March 1998.

The persons deployed on the project work are fully qualified primary teachers and the project was renamed the support teacher project because this title reflects their qualifications and the emphasis of the work in the revised specification more accurately. The revised specification is concerned with supporting the targeted children's holistic development. Their school attainment is promoted through core curricular work. The development of the children's social and personal behaviour will be catered for through activities in the other areas of the curriculum and especially through art, crafts, music and drama. The support teachers will help the children through the activities described and children in need of counselling services will be referred to persons with appropriate professional qualifications.

The schools that were included in the project in September 1998 were afforded the services because of difficulties they were experiencing in coping with disruptive and disturbed pupils.

Schools address the needs of disruptive, disturbed and withdrawn pupils through the formulation of staff policies and practices for preventing and managing these behaviours. Many schools will receive further help shortly in the form of financial support for the development of such policies through the school development planning process.

In January, an information meeting for principals and chairpersons of the support teacher project schools was held at which the rationale and emphasis of the project was explained and discussed. In March, a three day in-career development module for the support teachers covered the same areas and offered training and advice on the work involved. Persons attending the two gatherings were afforded time to express their views and to discuss the amended emphasis of the project. It is planned that further in-career modules will be provided for the support teachers over the next two school years and meetings between the support teachers and representatives of my Department will take place in this context.